This invention relates to an electrical junction box. In embodiments, the invention more particularly relates to an electrical junction box that can reliably carry out a conductivity inspection for a terminal that projects from a bottom wall in a fuse, a relay, or a connector containing section of the box and can positively effect a conductivity sensing and a half-fitting sensing for the terminal, in the case where a fitting inspection between the terminal and a lance for holding the terminal is carried out by inserting a sensing pin assembly projecting from a conductivity inspection device into the containing section, without breaking the sensing pin assembly.
In a process for manufacturing an electrical junction box, a conductivity inspection may be conducted to confirm whether or not an internal connection has failed. Failures can include, but are not limited to, failures such as a short circuit, an open circuit, miswiring, or the like. For example, FIGS. 7 and 8 show an example of a related-art conductivity inspection process. A conductivity inspection device 1 includes a plurality of sensing pins 1a attached to a support plate 1b at a given pitch. The electrical junction box is subsequently set in the conductivity inspection device 1 where the sensing pins 1a are inserted into fuse containing sections 2 of the electrical junction box. When the sensing pins 1a contact mating terminals 3 that are inserted upward into and secured to the fuse containing sections 2, the conductivity inspection begins (see JP 2005-326271A).
Also, a terminal connected to an end of a wire harness may be inserted into the fuse containing section of the electrical junction box so that the wire harness terminal is coupled to a terminal of a fuse mounted in the fuse containing section. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, an engaging projection 3a-1 on a side portion of a metal lance 3a of the inserted wire harness terminal 3 is engaged with an engaging recess 2a-1 of a resin lance 2a integrated with the fuse containing section 2. Additionally, the resin lance 2a is fitted on the wire harness terminal 3 to secure the wire harness terminal 3 at a regular position in the fuse containing section 2.
Similarly, a wire harness terminal to be inserted into a relay or connector containing section is positioned by a resin lance.
Accordingly, when a terminal is positioned and held in a fuse containing section or the like of the electrical junction box by a resin lance, a fitting inspection for detecting a failure in fitting (half-fitting) between the resin lance and the terminal can also be performed along with the conductivity inspection. The fitting inspection utilizes a conductivity inspection device 1 as shown, for example, in FIG. 10. The conductivity inspection device 1 includes a plurality of sensing pin assemblies 1a having a plurality of conductivity sensing pins 1a-1 and half-fitting pins 1a-2.
As shown in FIG. 11, if the resin lance 2a is inclined inward under a half-fitting condition between the terminal 3 and the resin lance 2a, the half-fitting sensing pin 1a-2 inserted down into the fuse containing section 2 contacts with the inward inclined resin lance 2a, thereby detecting the half-fitting. Also, since the half-fitting sensing pin 1a-2 cannot enter a gap between two resin lances 2a, the conductivity sensing pin 1a-1 cannot reach a top surface 3a-2 of the metal lance 3a, thereby disabling the conductivity sensing.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12, when the engaging projection 3a-1 on the metal lance 3a of the terminal 3 engages the engaging recess 2a-1 of the resin lance 2a, and the terminal 3 and resin lance 2a are under a fitting condition, the half-fitting sensing pin 1a-2 inserted down into the fuse containing section 2 enters the gap between the two resin lances 2a. This is due to the resin lance 2a standing straight and not being inclined inward. As a result, the conductivity sensing pin 1a-1 contacts with the top surface 3a-2 of the metal lance 3a of the terminal 3, thereby enabling the conductivity sensing.
In other words, if the conductivity sensing pin 1a-1 detects conductivity, one can determine that the terminal 3 and the resin lance 2a are under a fitting condition.
On the other hand, when an electrical junction box is set in a conductivity inspection device in which a plurality of pairs of two pins (a conductivity sensing pin 1a-1 and a half-fitting sensing pin 1a-2) constituting a plurality of sensing pin assemblies 1a are projected, a working person manually inserts an electrical junction box 4 into a conductivity inspection device 1 in a direction shown by arrow A in FIG. 13 while sliding an outer wall surface 4a of the electrical junction box 4 onto an inner wall surface 1b of the conductivity inspection device 1. When the electrical junction box 4 is inserted perfectly so as to reach an inner part in the conductivity inspection device 1, doors 1c provided on the opposite sides of the conductivity inspection device 1 are closed.
However, as described above, since the electrical junction box 4 is set manually in the conductivity inspection device 1, the electrical junction box can be improperly (i.e., obliquely) inserted into the device upon setting. In this case, the conductivity sensing pin 1a-1 or the half-fitting sensing pin 1a-2 projected from the conductivity inspection device 1 may be inserted at an angle into the fuse containing section 2 or the like, thereby being broken. In particular, the greater the number of conductivity sensing pins 1a-1 and half-fitting sensing pins 1a-2 projected from the conductivity inspection device 1, the more conductivity sensing pins may be broken or deformed. Consequently, if the pins are deformed, it is impossible to conduct effective fitting and conductivity inspections.